And they only wanted to go as far as the Ananias Club
Subject(s): Criminal courts, Editors, Fraud, Newspapers, Panama, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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The “editor of the New York World” and the “editor of Indianapolis News” jump in their seats as President Roosevelt tells them, “Criminal court: the next stop.” There are two newspapers on the ground, one of which reads, “New York World: Allegation of Panama Fraud.”
Comments and Context
As usual in Jay N. “Ding” Darling’s political cartoons, he scored several points simultaneously in one drawing. The inspiration for the cartoon was the money-and-influence allegations surrounding the negotiations, purchase, and contracts for construction of the Panama Canal. Two newspapers aired the charges — particularly inciting President Roosevelt’s ire because the stories implicated his brother-in-law Douglas Robinson — The Indianapolis News and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World.
Ding’s humorous caption referred to the mythical Ananias Club for liars, where Roosevelt virtually consigned offenders. But the drawing itself is grimmer, at least for the editors of the newspapers in question.
The charges against Robinson and Charles Phelps Taft (brother of William H. Taft) were withdrawn and never repeated; the World was especially punctilious about this, probably fearing a libel suit. The president, however, directed his Administration to sue the newspaper anyway.
Pulitzer’s World was the leading Democratic organ in the country, and had plagued Roosevelt since the 1890s with false stories and manufactured news. As Pulitzer’s staff relented on Robinson and Taft, it switched its calumny to claims that the president knew that Panama-related funds were channeled to the French interests by J. P. Morgan’s bank, instead of directly to the French. This technicality allowed the newspapers to continue fueling a controversy of their invention.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-12-12
Creator(s)
Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
And they only wanted to go as far as the Ananias Club. [December 12, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301964. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962. And they only wanted to go as far as the Ananias Club. [12 Dec. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301964.
APA:
Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962., [1908, December 12]. And they only wanted to go as far as the Ananias Club.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301964.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
